


Unspoken

by dessertmeltdown



Category: Firefly
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-21
Updated: 2012-01-21
Packaged: 2017-10-29 21:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/324290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dessertmeltdown/pseuds/dessertmeltdown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaylee pesters Simon a bit. Mal gets hurt on the job. Simon patches him up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unspoken

“You gotta be lyin’! Ain’t no way that’s true.”

“Completely true story. My roommate didn’t see it coming either.”

Kaylee laughed while shaking her head. The crew was stopped on a less than respectable planet without much Alliance interference, so Simon and Kaylee were sitting at the back of a bar drinking at talking. It wasn’t often that Simon braved getting off the ship, being a wanted fugitive and all, but recently he did so when he could. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Serenity. The ship had become home for him and his sister, but he had to get out occasionally.

“Hope I ain’t _interruptin’_ nothin’ but you two best be heading back to the ship,” the captain had come into the bar at some point when neither Simon nor Kaylee were paying attention.

Kaylee rolled her eyes a bit because she’d told the captain more than enough times that when it came to Simon there wasn’t much to interrupt. He wasn’t interested in her and probably never would be.

“We’re goin’,” she stood up and waited for Simon to follow.

They began walking out and when he was sure they were clear of Mal, Simon began talking.

“What was that about?”

“Still thinks there’s somethin’ goin’ on ‘tween us, I think. I told him weren’t nothing, but I think he just took it to mean I didn’t want him askin’ no more.”

Simon stopped walking and looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

“You didn’t…”

Kaylee broke into a wide grin.

“What? Tell him that little secret? ‘Course I did! How else you expect me to get him to stop askin’ about us?”

“Kaylee…”

“You’re so easy, Simon,” she was still laughing, “Promised I weren’t going to say anything, didn’t I?”

He was watching her very closely as he nodded.

“I guess.”

“Probably be better for all involved if someone said somethin’,” she sort of muttered as she started walking toward the ship again.

“No, no, I think it would be infinitely not better for all involved if something said something. It would be awkward and complicated. Don’t get any ideas.”

“Okay, okay,” she pauses, “I ain’t sayin’ a word.”

She sped up toward the ship without saying another word.

\-----

“I don’t understand how you managed to get such a nasty wound on such a simple job,” Simon was threading a stitch into Mal’s side where he’d been slashed, pretty badly, with a very large knife.

“In case you ain’t noticed, Doctor, these things don’t always seem to go according to plan.”

“Oh, I’ve noticed,” Simon finished up and then stood to look at Mal in the face, “you probably shouldn’t get up for at least a couple of hours.”

“You know that ain’t gonna work. Now, I’ve got a job to do around here. Captain, remember.”

“Yes, well, if you pull out those stitches, you’ll bleed to death. I suppose then we’ll have to do without a captain.”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Mal paused, “I wouldn’t bleed to death! That’s what I got a doctor on board for! I’d just order you to replace the stitches!”

“I could refuse,” he paused, “After all, if you died it isn’t as if you could throw me out the airlock.”

“Don’t think you’d do that.”

“And why’s that? I think I’d be very likely to do just that if you were stupid enough to rip out the stitches I just spent an hour putting in.”

“Because then you would be left here with Jayne,” Mal grinned in satisfaction.

Simon rolled his eyes and begun cleaning up his tools and putting them away. Mal took the opportunity to attempt to get off the table. He had barely moved one leg when he winced in pain.

“Gorram it!”

“I told you not to get up.”

“You didn’t say it would hurt like hell if I tried!”

Simon was grinning while facing away from Mal at the sink.

“I assumed you would figure that out the first time you tried to get up.”

“Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“I know you’ve got that smug grin on your face right now. Just stop.”

Simon finished up and put his tools back in the drawers they belonged in before turning and walking back to the table next to Mal. He wasn’t grinning anymore and instead had a fairly serious look on his face.

“How bad does it hurt?”

“Not bad now that I ain’t trying to stand up.”

“Well, just let me know if you need me to give you something,” Simon said while touching Mal’s arm lightly.

Mal nodded and then turned his head away from Simon.

“I’m just going to check on River. I’ll check in again soon,” he paused, “Don’t try to get up again. I mean it. And call if you need anything. I can hear you from River’s room.”

“Yes sir,” Mal said quietly with a small smirk as Simon left the room.

\--------

River was sleeping peacefully, so rather than wake her, Simon just walked back out and decided to come back later. He was on his way back to the infirmary when he ran into Kaylee, who he assumed was also on her way there.

“How’s the captain?”

“Stubborn as ever. Other than that, fine. The cut was pretty deep, but it was nothing that shouldn’t heal fairly quickly. He’ll have to stay off of his feet for the rest of the night though, and he’s not very good at taking orders.”

“Already tried to get up, didn’t he?”

“How did you ever guess that?”

Kaylee grinned.

“I’m lucky,” she paused, “So, I been thinkin’.”

“Why don’t I like the sound of that?” he teased.

She stopped him right outside the infirmary.

“I think you should talk to him. While he’s got no other choice but to listen. Can’t hurt a thing, and what’s the worst that could happen?”

“You mean besides him laughing in my face, never speaking to me again, or kicking me off the ship? Nothing at all could happen!”

“Oh, come on, Simon! It can’t be that bad! I think it’s cute!”

“Stop. It’s not cute. It’s annoying. It’s a stupid little annoying thing that won’t go away, and we aren’t talking about it.”

“You ain’t chicken, are ya?”

“I am no--” he cut himself off, “I’m not talking to him, Kaylee.”

“You are so chicken. It ain’t like you want to profess your undyin’ love and devotion! You got a crush! Captain might actually be flattered if anything!”

“Yes, Kaylee, I’m sure he’ll be flattered.”

“Ain’t no need to get sarcastic! I’m just tryin’ to help. ‘Sides, you tell him, whether he gets shocked or flattered or whatever else he might get, it ain’t like it’ll be any worse than you starin’ at him all puppy dog eyes all the time.”

“I don’t stare!”

Kaylee grinned.

“You do too. It’s cute. Don’t think he notices though.”

Simon looked like he was going to be sick, but it didn’t stop Kaylee from grinning at him.

“Fine. I’m talking to him. But only so you stop looking at me like that. With that grin.”

“Good. And I expect you to come and tell me every single thing that happens.”

“We’ll see,” he mumbled, “Did you want to come in and see him?”

“Was on my way,” she smiled, “I won’t stay long. I’ll leave you two alone to _talk_.”

\-----

Simon was relieved when Kaylee left the infirmary. The entire time she was there, she kept shooting him glances and grinning at him. It was starting to bother him. Really bother him. He adored Kaylee, but he could only take so much.

“She seem a mite odd to you today?”

“Kaylee?” he paused, “No different than usual.”

“Seemed a little distracted, you ask me.”

Simon just shrugged and went about pretending to do things around the infirmary. But considering he’d cleaned all of his tools before leaving to check on River, there wasn’t much to be done. Avoiding the subject of why Kaylee was acting strangely wasn’t going to be easy. Besides, he knew she’d come back later to find out if he’d spoken to Mal.

“I didn’t notice.”

“Not surprising. You’re actin’ distracted yourself.”

“What?”

“Seem you got somethin’ on your mind. No offense, cause I think you’re a fine doctor, but I’d rather you not be fiddlin’ about my body if you’ve got something else on your mind.”

“I’m not---It’s nothing.”

“Nothing? Really. Now, I may not have gone to some fancy school or nothing, but I can full and well figure that if you and Kaylee are both actin’ like this, there’s something. Ain’t nothin’ that’s got you fiddling with the tools in that drawer for the third time tonight.”

Simon immediately stopped what he was doing and closed the drawer he hadn’t even realized that he’d opened but doesn’t move or look up. He was really going to hurt Kaylee later. She shouldn’t have forced him into talking to Mal about this.

“You gonna say anything? Or you plan on just standing there all night?”

“What? Oh,” he paused and then decided to go into doctor mode, “How’s your side?”

“Side’s fine. Don’t change the subject.”

“I wasn’t--”

“You were. Now, you’re gonna tell me what’s got you and Kaylee all distracted, especially since I ain’t used to seein’ you like this when you’re supposed to be working.”

Simon sighed. He was now sure of two things. One, he was going to do some serious harm to Kaylee the next time he saw her and two, he had to say something now because Mal already knew there was something to tell.

“Fine,” he paused, “I can’t promise you’re going to like hearing it.”

When Mal didn’t speak, Simon took a deep breath. He was not good at this sort of thing at all.

“You just gonna stand there all day or are you actually gonna say something?” Mal paused, “You ain’t gone and done somethin’ stupid with Kaylee have you? Cause I ain’t gonna take to kindly to havin’ a baby on board.”

“What?” Simon paused, “NO! No. Nothing like that. There’s nothing going on between Kaylee and I.”

“And I know you ain’t plannin’ to leave,” he paused, “Unless you are.”

“No. Not leaving.”

“Just say it you big chicken.”

The two men looked up to see River standing in the doorway with a serious look on her face.

“River. I thought you were sleeping.”

“Too loud. Couldn’t sleep.”

She walked a bit further into the infirmary and stopped in front of Simon, turned to look at Mal, and then looked back at her brother.

“You’re being difficult.”

“She ain’t wrong about that.”

Her head snapped around to look at Mal.

“You’re no better.”

“Hey! I ain’t the one talkin’ around what’s on his mind!”

River laughed. Not just a small giggle, but an all out laugh. It was just a bit disconcerting for both Mal and Simon.

“Boys,” she finally said before turning back toward the door, “you should both just say what’s on your mind. It would make things easier for everyone.”

The fact that River said it made Simon believe it. She walked out of the room, leaving Mal and Simon alone again. Simon still wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but there was really no way around it now.

“You got a clue what that sister of yours is goin’ on about? Because I surely don’t.”

“Yeah,” he paused, “I do.”

There was a tense moment where Simon didn’t say anything, but when he knew Mal wasn’t going to say anything and, instead, was just going to stare at him with a blank expression, he moved to stand next to the operating table.

“Mal,” he sucked in another breath.

This was proving just as hard as he always imagined. The fact that he’d never been good with anything that came with romance or dating or relationships didn’t help. Mostly he was just awkward and clueless. This was no different. This was especially hard for some reason. So, when Simon couldn’t find the words, he decided to forget about it. Talking wasn’t his strong suit anyway.

Mal was looking up at him, obviously not getting it. Not that Simon had given him any indication whatsoever about what was going to happen. So it was a little shocking, to both of them, when he did it.

Simon leaned down over Mal and hovered about an inch from his face for a brief moment before leaning in the rest of the way and kissing him very softly. It didn’t last long because Simon wasn’t sure what he could get away with, so he pulled back and stood in the same spot, waiting for Mal to speak.

“Huh,” he paused, “I can honestly say I wasn’t expectin’ that.”

“I’m sorry,” Simon spoke quietly, “I’m just going to leave you alone.”

He turned to leave, but Mal stopped him but grabbing his wrist, lightly, and forcing him to turn back to the table to look at him.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”

Simon stood, unsure, as always, what to say. This whole situation had been fairly unexpected, considered he had planned to never let Mal in on the way he felt.

“You gonna say anything?”

“Oh, right,” Simon paused, “It’s not a bad thing?”

Mal laughed sort of quietly.

“Anyone ever tell you that you got a way with words, doctor?”

“Not really, no.”

“I can’t imagine why,” he had a slight smile on his lips, “that what you were so distracted about?”

“Yes.”

“You couldn’t have just said something sooner? Mighta made everything just a mite easier for everyone, considering I ain’t exactly complaining about you kissin’ me like that.”

“That’s what Kaylee said.”

“Smart girl. You should listen to her more often.”

“I’m learning.”

“Finally.”

They both jumped slightly and turned to the door to see River standing there again.

“I thought that was going to take forever.”

“Your sister always so interested in your personal life?”

“Only when he’s being an idiot about it,” she said matter-of-factly.

Simon shrugged.

“She’s a nosey little brat,” he grinned at her, “always has been. Sometimes it actually comes in handy.”

“Don’t know what you’d do without me,” she muttered before turning and walking off again.

“Think she’s coming back?”

“Knowing River? There’s no telling.”

There was another moment of silence before Mal spoke up again.

“It’s gonna be complicated,” he paused, “I ain’t gonna lie.”

“I know.”

“I ain’t an easy person to get along with.”

“Oh, that I definitely know.”

“Kinda stubborn.”

“Are you trying to scare me away already?”

“Just lettin’ you know what you’re gettin’ yourself into.”

Simon stood for a second and then leaned back down to kiss Mal again.

“I think I can handle it,” he smiled, “Now, you should probably get some rest. If you sleep for an hour or so, I might actually let you get up and around later.”

“Let me,” Mal muttered, “You ain’t gonna let me do anything. I’ll get up and about when I’m good and ready.”

“Fine,” Simon grinned, “I suppose I can’t stop you.”

Mal nodded in defiance and moved to get up.

“Gorram it!”

Simon laughed a bit before starting out of the infirmary.

“Rest,” he paused, “I’ll be back to check on you in an hour.”

Mal looked frustrated as Simon walked out of the room, and when he was sure the doctor was gone, he smiled slightly and closed his eyes.


End file.
